Chris Brown speaks out as judge revokes probation

Reporter Sarah Hashim-Waris in The Times newsroom has details on singer Chris Brown's revoked probation in connection with his 2009 conviction for beating his then-girlfriend Rihanna.

Reporter Sarah Hashim-Waris in The Times newsroom has details on singer Chris Brown's revoked probation in connection with his 2009 conviction for beating his then-girlfriend Rihanna.

Richard Winton

Singer Chris Brown expressed outrage Monday as a judge revoked his probation in his 2009 conviction for beating then-girlfriend Rihanna after prosecutors said he violated the terms by committing an alleged hit-and-run while driving without a valid license.

Brown wrote on Twitter that he's done nothing wrong and that it was wrong to punish him.

“I did everything I was suppose to do during the so called hit n run,” Brown wrote on Twitter Monday morning. “I provided the correct info. There were no injuries or damages. C'mon!!”

The Grammy winner was allowed to remain free, pending a hearing next month.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James R. Brandlin revoked Brown's probation and set a court date of Aug.16 to resolve the issue or set a hearing on the violation and to determine what punishment, if any, is warranted. Brown could face up to four years in jail on the probation violation. Such probation revocations require only a preponderance of the evidence compared to beyond a reasonable doubt for new criminal charges and are a far easier method to incarcerate a probationer.

The judge ordered Brown be released without bail after Deputy Dist. Atty. Mary Murray did not request that the singer be taken into custody. Prosecutors alleged that incident involving two new misdemeanor charges of hit-and-run and driving without a license violate the terms of Brown's five-year probation in the felony assault case that requires he obeys all laws.

In August 2009, Brown was ordered to serve 1,400 hours of community service, complete domestic violence classes and serve five years probation. He was convicted of felony domestic violence for striking Rihanna as they drove in a rented Lamborghini through Los Angeles.

On Monday. Brown was dressed in a slim cut black suit and shirt and sat quietly as his lawyer, the prosecutor and judge spent 20 minutes in closed chambers before a brief court discussion.

Earlier this year, Brown was accused by prosecutors of having significant discrepancies in his 1,400 hours of community service in his native Virginia and judge has yet to decide if they are valid.

In the latest incident, Brown is accused of rear-ending a woman's Mercedes with a Range Rover on May 21 on Barham Boulevard. According to a district attorney's investigators report, the woman and Brown — who did not identify himself — pulled over to the side of the road after the crash at a red light about 12:30 p.m. The Mercedes driver asked Brown for his driver's license and insurance as required by California law, but he produced neither of them, according to the report.

Instead, Brown's passenger. Karrueche Tientrese Tran, handed over her driver's license, and after some searching produced an expired insurance card for a Lamborghini. Prosecutors attached a letter that the woman sent to the LAPD investigator saying Brown and his passenger went “ballistic” when they realized she was taking photos. The woman said Brown then tried to grab the camera from her and allegedly called her profane names suggesting she thought less of him because he was a black man and used a racial epithet for himself.

A district attorney's investigator reviewing the information determined that Brown had failed to produce documents required by state law. Defense attorney Mark Geragos has filed papers to dismiss the misdemeanors related to the hit-and run citing a civil settlement Brown made with the other driver, Olga Kovalenko. But the court has yet to approve that and delayed a decision to July 23. The Los Angeles city attorney, which prosecutes misdemeanors, said he would object that any payoff to the victim did not deal with Brown’s lack of a California driver’s license.